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Sunday, September 24
Chinese teens finish 1-2 in semis
Associated Press
SYDNEY, Australia -- Laura Wilkinson was counting on
perfection to catch the Chinese divers. Even that may not be good
enough.
Teenagers Sang Xue and Li Na wowed the rest of the world with
their consistent excellence off the women's 10-meter platform
Sunday (Saturday night EDT).
Wilkinson, of The Woodlands, Texas, was fifth -- far behind the
Chinese and also trailing two Canadians -- after a steady but
unspectacular performance in the semifinals.
"If I did my dives the way I know I can, I could be up there
with them," said Wilkinson, performing with a foot that was broken
in March.
She finished the four-dive semifinal round with 504.24 points,
leaving her in the same position she held after the preliminaries.
Her coach, Ken Armstrong, said she needed to improve her entry into
the water to have any chance of moving up in the evening final.
Fifteen-year-old Sang and 16-year-old Li, continuing China's
dominance off the platform, were 1-2 after the preliminaries and
held those positions with another display of stunning flips, spins
and tucks.
"I love watching them," said American Sara Reiling, who failed
to advance to the 12-woman final. "They're amazing. Everything is
so tight. Their tucks, their pikes, are so close together. Their
entries, I don't know how they do it."
China's women have won four straight Olympic platform titles and
give every indication of making it five in a row.
Sang led with 570.90 points, followed closely by Li at 562.89.
Anne Montminy of Canada was a distant third at 525.81, with
teammate Emilie Heymans totaling 516.42.
"Li Na's dives are not that difficult, but she's consistent.
It's easy for her to perform. Sang Xue's dives are difficult,"
said their coach, Wang Min. "With one diver whose dives are
difficult and another who is consistent, hopefully we will ensure
the gold."
Sang began her athletic career as a gymnast, but gladly switched
over to diving when a coach picked her out of a sports academy.
"As a kid, I wanted to swim because I liked water," she said.
"Then I realized that diving was even better."
Montminy, who questioned how the youthful Chinese would perform
under pressure, changed her tone after watching them dominate the
semis.
"They haven't proven to be vulnerable at all, so my theory goes
out the window," Montminy said. "They're tough."
Reiling, 21, of Roseville, Minn., was 16th after the
preliminaries and moved up three places with a score of 446.91.
That wasn't enough to get her into the final, however.
"I have to control my emotions better," she said. "The first
day, I was a mess. I have to think more about what I'm doing. ...
It was a good learning lesson."
The last time just one American woman reached the platform final
was 1968, when Ann Peterson went solo to win bronze at Mexico City.
The American women haven't won a platform gold since Lesley Bush
in 1964.
Excluding the 1980 boycott, the Americans have captured at least
one diving medal in every Olympics since 1912. That streak could be
in jeopardy this year.
The American men already flopped in the debut of synchronized
diving. The team of Mark Ruiz and David Pichler finished seventh
out of eight teams off the 10-meter platform.
Two-time Olympic platform champion Fu Mingxia isn't defending
her platform title in Sydney. She will compete in the individual
springboard event, getting a chance to repeat her 3-meter gold from
Atlanta.
Fu, who won silver in the women's 3-meter synchronized event, is
trying to join Americans Greg Louganis and Pat McCormick as the
only divers to win four gold medals.
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